Improvement in steasvi-engines



In non for w PL PETERS, PHCTO-UTNOGRAPMER, WASHINGTON D C u #l Zw @d /.J bd.

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lm, PNDYO-LITMDGRPNEH. WASMXNGTON, D. l2A

UNITED STATES PATENT Oruro-n.

EDYVIN P. BALL, OF CHICOPEE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT lN STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 90,480, dated May 25, 1369.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWiN P. BALL, of Chicopee, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steam-Engines; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exa-ct description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters ot' reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1, Plate 1, shows a side elevation of the apparatus ready for operation. Fig. 2, Plate 2, is a vertical section through the cylinders, showing the details of construction, as seen from the opposite side to that shown in Plate 1. Fig. 3, Plate 3, is a similar sectional view, showing the piston and valves in another position. Fig. 4, Plate 3, is a front view ot' the connecting-trunnion on the valve-rod. Fig. 5, Plate 3, is a front view of the fnlcrum or bearing` for the lever which operates the valve 5 and Fig. 6, Plate 4, is a sectional view of the cylinders, showing the pistonv and valves in a diii'erent position from that shown in Plates 2 and 3.

My invention relates to steam-engines; and consists in the construction and arrangement of the saine whereby the piston is connected with a primary valve by suitable rods, an intermediate valve being introduced between said primary valve and piston, the primary valve serving to control the exhaust-steam passing from the cylinder containing the intermediate valve, and said intermediate valve serving to control the admission of steam to the cylinder containing the piston, while both the valves and piston govern and control each other in their movements, and the whole operate with great regularity, precision, and ease, and without much of the jar and wear and tear of parts usually attendant upon the quick and rapid movement of heavy machinery operated by steam.

That others skilled in the art may be able to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and the mode of its operation.

In the drawings, A represents the pistoncylinder, which is cast hollow and open at both ends, and with the an ges 7a4 and 765 thereon, said cylinder having upon one side the wing-piece E, with the ports a and a1 therein;

and for greater facility in making an examination as to the condition ot' the piston Al and its rings, when desirable, the piece A5 is east separately, with the iianges 7a2 and k3 thereon, by which iiange k3 the said piece A5 is secured to the main cylinder A. Y

To the upper an ge, 7c?, is secured the head lf, having the stuffing-box A3 thereon, through which passes the piston-rod A2, and to the lower flange, h5, upon the cylinder A is secured `the head A, having the stuiiing-box A4 thereon, through which passes the rod AG, to the lower end of which may be attached a stamphead for crushing or stamping ores 5 or a hammer or die may be attached thereto, which may be used as in the ordinary operations of a steam-hammer; or the lower head, A", may be solid, and without the stnting-box A4, and the piston may be used for any propellingpower desirable.

The outside of the wing-piece E is made plane or flat, and with a flange, l, thereon, as shown in Plate 1.

The cylinder B is east hollow, open at both ends, and to each end is secured a head, h2 h3. The middle portion of the bore of said cylinder B, from n to al, is made somewhat larger than the part nearer the ends, and the aperture B5 is made inthe side of said cylinder. One side of this cylinder B, on the outside, is made plane or iiat, with a iiange, Z1, thereon, by means of which said cylinder B is secured to the wing-piece E of the cylinder A by bolts passing through said flange Z1, and also through the lian ge l on the wing-piece E.

In the upper part ofthe said cylinder B are made the annular grooves, s, sl, s2, and s3, and in the lower part of'said cylinder B are made the annular grooves, s4, S5, and s6. Direct communication is made from the groove s3 to the interior of the cylinder A, at its upper end, through the port al, and also from the groove s4 to the lower interior portion of said cylinder A through the port a. The small port c4 is made through the lower head, h2, and up into the side of the cylinder B, communieating with the groove si', and the said hole, through the head h2, has a screw-thread made therein, and a screw, c3, having a conical end, is turned into said hole; and the same arrangement is made at the upper end of the cylinder, where is the small port, communicating with the groove s2. through the head h3, and c2 the screw fitting into the threaded hole made through the head h3.

Operating within the cylinder B is the rod B8, upon the upper end of which are the two cylindrical flanges or piston-heads B3 and B4, the thickness of B3 being sufficient to cover the grooves s and s1, while the thickness of the iiange B4 is sufficient to occupy the space between the top of the groove s2 and the top` of the groove s3.

Upon the lower end of the rod B8 are the two cylindrical flanges or heads B1 and B2, the thickness of B1 being sufcient to cover the annular groove s, and the thickness of B2 being sufficient to cover the annular groove s6.

rlhe distance between the flan ges Bl and B2 is such that when the upper side of the lower ange B2 is on the same horizontal plane with the lower side of the groove S5, as shown in Plate 2, the lower side of the flange B1 shall be a little above the lower side of the groove s4.

The distance between the heads or flanges B3 and Y B4 is such that when the lower side of the iange B3 is upon the same horizontal plane with the upper side of the groove s2, as shown in Plate 3, the upper side of the flange B4 is upon the same horizontal plane with the lower side of the groove s3, and the length of' the whole rod B8, with the anges B1, B2, B3, and B4 thereon, is such that when the rod BB is in the position shown in Plate 2, the top of the upper ila-nge, B3, being upon the same horizontal plane with the upper side of the groove s, the upper side of the lower iiange, B2, 'shall be on the same horizontal plane with the lower side of the groove S5.

The length of the rod B8, with the distances betweenthe iianges, as thus explained, will determine the relative proportion of the rod B8 with its flanges, which I denominate the intermediate valve, to the cylinder B, with the grooves s, s1, &c., made therein.

The bore of the cylinder B, in its'upper and lower part, should be the same in diameter, and the flanges B3, B4, Ste., should t said Vbore properly to make them steam-tight, and

said flanges may be cast somewhat hollow, as indicated by dotted lines in Plates 2, 3, and 4, if desirable, to save stock and give lightness to the valve.

The apertures d d1 d2 d3 are made in the larger part of the cylinder B, through which tions of the machine, as will be hereinafter explained.

An aperture, is made in the upper part of the cylinder -B at such heightthat when the valve B8 is at its lowest position in the cylinder, as shown inA Plate 3, Fig. 3, said aperture shall be just above the upper surface of the flange B3, and an aperture, x1, is made in the lower part of said cylinder at such 'height that when the said valve is in its l highest position, as shown in Plate 2, Fig. 2, said opening'shall be just below the lower surface of the lower ange, B2, so that the exhaust-steam may escape from the upper and lower parts of the cylinder through the pipes and apertures d and d3 into the exhaust-pipe.

The guide-rod Bt operates through a stuffing-box, g, in the upper head of the cylinder B, by which to try the .valve when necessary to ascertain its condition in its cylinder. The ports b, b1, b2, b3, and b4 are made in the cylinder B, and that side of said cylinder B is made flat, and having the flange m thereon, as shown in Plate 1.

rlhe cylinder G is made smaller than B, and hollow, with the heads h and hl bolted to the upper'and lower ends, the stuffing-box g being made in the upper head, h, through which operates the rod D2. One side of the cylinder C is made flat, with a flange, ml, thereon, by which it is secured to the cylinder B.

Within the cylinder C, and extending around its entire interior circumference, are made the annular grooves o, 01, 02, 03, o4, and o5, the annular grooves s, s, s2, s3, s, S5, and s6 extending around the entire interior circumference of the cylinder B. In the same manner communication is made between the annular grooves o1 and s, o? and s1, and o4 and s through the ports b, b, and b2, respectively, which are madev partly in the cylinder B and partly in the cylinder G, for facility in casting.

The cylinder C has the aperture b5 therein, which communicates with the annular groove s2 in the upper part of the cylinder B through the port b3, and also with the annular groove S5 in the lower part of said cylinder through the port b4.

Upon the outside of the cylinder C, at the upper part, is the protuberance d5, as shown in Plate 1, which is hollow from top to bottom, only communicating with the interior of the cylinder G through two apertures, one at the top, opening into the annular groove o, and one at the bottom of said protuberance, opening into the annular groove'o. Another aperture is made in the outside of said protuberance, which communicates with the enlarged middle portion of the cylinder B through the pipe and aperture d.

Another protuberance, d, is made upon the outside of the cylinder C, at the lower end, which is also hollow, and only communicates with the lower interior portion of said cylinder C through an aperture which opens into the annular groove o5. the exhaust-steam escapes from certain por- A threaded hole is made in the edge of the protuberance d5 just below the annular groove o, into which is turned a screw, d, which is of sufficient diameter and length to entirely fill the hollow in the protuberance d5 when said screw is turned in, and a similar screw is arranged for the lower part of said protuberance d5 'ust above the annular `roove 03 and also for the lower protuberance d just. above the annular groove 05. Communication is made from the interior of the protuberance d6 with the middle interior portion of the cylinder B, or with the exhaust-pipe B5 through the pipe and aperture d2. Upon the rod Dz are the cylindrical ilanges or projections G1, C2, and C3, the lower side or end of the projection C3 being upon the same horizontal plane with the upper side of the annular groove o4. When the rod D2 is at its highest position, as shown in Plate 3, the top of the upper flan ge, C1, should be upon the same horizontal plane with the upper side of the annular groove o, the lower end of said ilange C1 being a little below the groove 01, and the extreme top of the ange C? should be at about the lower side of the annular groove o2, said flan ge extending down to a point below the groove o3. The length of the lower flange, G3, should be such that when its eXtreme lower end is upon the same horizontal plane with the upper side of the groove o5 the top of said ange should be above the groove o4, as shown in Plate 2, the small rod I, which connects the nanges C1, C2, and C3, aording ample space for the steam to pass in through the pipe b5.

To the upper part of the cylinder C, upon the side, is secured the stud or bearing D, which may be of sufficient length to accommodate the length of stroke, and at the top of which stud is the bearing i2 in which are made two vertical slots parallel with the rod D, one in each side of the bearing 111', through which are passed bolts or screws securing the sliding bearing 3. A trunnion, c2, having an aperture, f, therein, has its bearings in the slide t3, caps c' being secured to the slide 3 to keep the ends of the trunnion always in place. At the top of the rod D2 are the bearings i1, with caps i1, securing a similar trunnion, e, with an aperture, f, therein, properly in place. Both the trunnions e and c2 are so properly secured in their bearings as to admit of a vertical reciprocating movement, and a guide, F,

v having a vertical aperture therein, is attached to the stud, through which guide passes the rod D2, to keep it steady and in its proper vertical position. To the top of the piston-rod A2 is attached a similar trunnion, e3, to which trunnion is firmly attached the rod D1, said rod passing through the apertures in the trun nions c and e2, sliding freely to and fro in said apertures. A rod, A6, attached to the piston A1, passes down through the starting-box A4 in the lower head ot' the cylinder A, and a stamp-head for crushing ore may be attached to the lower end of said rod.

Having thus described its construction, I will now proceed to describe the mode of its operation.

The parts of the machine being together and ready for operation, the piston A1 being in the lower part of the cylinder, as shown in Plate 2, the intermediate valve, B8, being in its highest position within the cylinder B, steam is admitted through the pipe b5, passing through the port b4 into the cylinder B between the anges Bl and B2, through the port a, and into the cylinder A underneath the piston A1. This forces the piston A1 upward to the upper part of the cylinder A, the intermediate valve,

B8, remaining in its highest position until the piston A1 has performed its entire upward stroke. This upward movement of the piston A1, with its rod A2, carries up also that end of the lever D1 which is attached to the upper end of the rod A2, and as the lever D1 passes through the aperture in the trunnion at the top of the rod D2 said rod D2 is also carried upward, and with it the valve l, the vertical movement of thev rod D2 and the valve I being in proportion `to the vertical movement of the piston-rod A2 as the distance from e2 to e is to the distance from e to c3. The valve I being carried upward, the lower flange, C3, is brought above the annular groove o4, and the exhauststeam passes out from beneath the loweran ge, B2, through the port b2, into the lower part of the cylinder C, through the orifice in the lower annular groove, o5, chamber d6, pipe d2, into the large exhaust-pipe B5. The intermediate valve, B8, then drops, and as the annular groove s is a short distance above the bottom of the cylinder B, the said valve B11 cushions against the steam which is collected in the lower end of the cylinder B below the annular groove s6, and the steam which enters the small upper port c5 c1, to force down the intermediate valve, B11, escapes through the aperture min the side of the cylinder B, thus preventing any further downward force being'exerted upon said valve B11. As the piston A1 moves down the valve I is also carried down until the lower end of the lower ange, C3, passes the annular groove 04, closing the port b2, and the upper end of the ilan ge C2 passes below the annular groove o3, which opens the aperture in said groove o3, communicating with the small exhaust-chamber df on the outside of the cylinder C. This position of the valve I is shown in Plate 4. The exhaust-steam is then free to pass out from the space in the upper end of the cylinder B, above the upper ilange, B3, through the port b1, space in the cylinder C, between the two flanges C1 and C2, and small exhaust-chamber d5 and pipe d1, into the eX- haust-pipe B5. The steam admitted to the lower end of the cylinder B, beneath the ange B2, through the port b4 and smaller ports c4 and c, forces up the intermediate valve, B8, (the lower port, b2, being stopped,) until the top of the upper flange, B3, has just passed the annular groove s1, when, the port b being still shut, the steam in the upper end of the cylinder B temporarily stops the intermediate valve, B8, in its upward movement.

The piston A1 having thus far made only a part of its downward movement, the intermediate valve, B8, in its present position has cut oft' communication between the cylinder B and the upper part of the cylinder A by the flanges B4 covering the annular groove s3 communicatin g with the port a1, and as the great weight of the stamp-head att-ached to the lower end of the rod A6 accelerates the piston A1 in its downward movement, there is no necessity that the piston A1 should have the full force of the steam during its entire downward movement,

and the said piston A1 performs the remainder of the downward movement under the expansive force of the steam already admitted into the cylinder above it, the exhaust-steam meanwhile passing out from beneath the piston A1 through the port a into the exhaustpipe B5, all the space between the two ilan ges B1 and B4 of the intermediate valve, B8, being exhaust-space. As the valve I is carried to its lowest position in the cylinder C by the downward movement of the piston A1, when the top of the upper flange, G1, passes below the annular groove o1, the steam in the upper part of the cylinder B above the intermediate valve, B8,is free to pass out through the port b into the upperV part of the cylinder G, and from thence through the aperture in the upper annular groove o, through the small exhaustchamber d5, pipe d1, and into the large exhaust-l pipe B5. This escape of the steamfrom the cylinder B above the' upper flan ge, B3, of the intermediate valve, B8, permits said valve to ily up quickly until the top of the upper flange, B3, covers or passes the upper annular groove, s, when the said valve B8 cushions against the steam confined in the extreme upper part of saidy cylinder B above the said groove s, and the steam which enters the small lower Y ports, c4 and c, to drive the intermediate valve,

B8, upward, passes out through the lower aperture w1, thus preventing any further upward force being exerted by the steam.

If, in the adjustment of the machine, it should be found desirable to change slightly the length of the stroke of the valve I as compared with the stroke of the piston A1, it may be easily and quickly done by unloosenin g the bolts or screws which secure the slide 'i3 to its ways or rests i2, moving. the slide t3 either toward or from the rod l)2 toits desired position, and then tightening said bolts or screws.

If it should be desirable to shorten the stroke of the piston A1 at the upper end of the stroke, it may be done by turning the nut c upon the rod I and moving the lower head or flan ge, C3, upward on its rod I the desired distance, and

'then securing ity inplace by the nuts n and 'vl above and below the head C3. The ports b2 and groove o4 will then communicate sooner, and the intermediatevalve,B8,droppingsooner, the steam passes into the upper part of the cylinder A throughthe ports b3. and al, shortening thev stroke of the piston A1 at the upper part. If it should be desirableto shorten the stroke of said piston at the lower end of the stroke, it may be done by moving down the head or ange G1 upon the rod I and securing it in a similar manner by the nut v4. This permits the steam to escape from the cylinderB above the intermediate valve, B8, sooner, which permits thev said valve B8 to ily up'quicker, admitting the steam into lthe lower end of the cylinder A sooner through the ports b4 and a.

i If it should be desirable tol lengthen or shorten the cut-oft' for the upper end of cylinder A, it may be done by raisin g or depressing the middle ange or head, C2, and securing it in place by the nuts v2 and o3 above and below said flange G2. This-permits the steam to escape through the port b1 and annular groove o3 sooner or later, according as said flange is depressed or raised, and permits `the intermediate valve, B8, to fly up sooner or later, cutting off the steam from the port al correspondingly sooner or later, as theacase may be.

It will be seen that the steam is admitted to the small ports c5 and c4 constantly, with- A out reference to the stroke of either of the valves or-J'of the piston; that the intermediate valve, B8, when used in a vertical position, shall be balanced, the apertures w and x1 in the cylinder are used, the steam which is admitted through either the port c5 or c4, and

vpassing out through one of said apertures,

operating to hold said intermediate valve always in the highest or lowest position.

The stop-cocks r and r1 may be turned to regulate the size of the apertures w and x1, in order to regulate the amount of steam passing through said apertures and prevent more waste of steam than is necessary, it being best to have said apertures as small as possible, while -the amount of steam passing through shall be sufiicient to keep the valve B8 in its proper position at the ends of its stroke.

The intermediatevalve, B8, may be made to move quick or slow by turning the screws d, d?, and d either in or out, for, as the diameter of said screws ,fills the width of the small exhaust-chambers d5 and d6, it is evident that l the space left for the passage of the exhaust- Vsteam past the inner end of the said screws will regulatethe time occupied in the passage of the steam from above and beneath the intermediate valve B8 as said s ace is large or small. v

It will be seen that the movements of the primary valve I simply control the exhaust-passages b, b1, and b2 from the intermediate valvecylinder, B, and that the intermediate valve, B8, controls the admission of steam to the cylinder A both above and below the piston A1.

It is evident that stop-cocks or perforated screws might be used in the place of the screws d", d, and dg, for the purpose of regulating the escape of the steam from the cylinder B, as either would be an equivalent to the devices shown in the drawings, and the regulation of the escape of the steam from said cylinder I deem an important feature in my invention.

- Bymaking the valve I without the middle head, C2, and by leaving out the port b1, the intermediate valve, B8, will make but one movement in its upward stroke, and the engine may then be used with'great advantage for a greater variety of purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The primary valve I, with the ports b, b1, and b2, the intermediate valve, B8, with the ports in the `cylinder B, and the piston A1, with the ports a and al, said valves and piston operating` to control each other in their movements, substantially as herein described.

2. The primary Valve I in connection with the ports b, b1, and b2, and the port c4, all operating to cause the intermediate valve, B8, to perform two distinct movements during its entire upward stroke, substantially as set forth.

3. The devices for regulating the passage of the exhaust-steam from out the ends of the cylinder B, so that the intermediate Valve B8 may operate fast or slow during each stroke, substantially as herein described.

4. The exhaust-apertures x and m1 in the cylinder B, in connection with small ports c4 E. l?. BALL- Witnesses:

T. A. CURTIS, F. E. RICE. 

